Sunday, 13 December 2009

Appeals filed in credit/ATM card foreign currency fee lawsuit

As an objector to the unfair settlement (underpaying people who have lived abroad or travelled abroad for extended periods) of the class action lawsuit against banks and credit card companies for hiding their fees for foreign-currency transactions, I've received notice that several other objectors have appealed the District Court's approval of the settlement to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

Any payouts to card users will be stayed while these appeals are pending.

I haven't yet received the full appeals, just the notices of appeal, but so far as I can tell, it doesn't look like any of the appeals will raise the objections I raised in the District Court.

As an objector in the court below, I'm entitled to participate in briefing and argument of any appeal, but I can't do so effectively without professional legal assistance, which I can't afford. If anyone wants to volunteer legal assistance to raise these issues related to expatriates and long-term travellers in the appeal, or to pay for legal assistance to do so, please get in touch.

"Congress shall make no law ... abridging ... the right of the people peaceably to assemble." (U.S. Constitution)

"Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country." (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

"Liberty of movement is an indispensable condition for the free development of a person." (United Nations Human Rights Committee)